The Garland Pose, or Malasana, is a yoga pose that helps relieve stress and increase your focus. Doing this pose regularly can also help to improve your balance, open your hips, and lengthen your spine. In order to do the Garland Pose, it’s important to get in the position, avoid common mistakes, and know the benefits of the Garland Pose. Doing the Garland Pose can be difficult, especially for beginners, but it can be a very beneficial and useful pose to do for those interested in developing their yoga poses.

Steps

Method1

Getting in the Position

1

Stand in Mountain Pose. Make sure that your feet are together. Additionally, your toes and the soles of your feet should be spread to help you to be firmly balanced.[1]

Mountain Pose is the basis for many standing yoga poses. The Mountain Pose should be a relaxed, yet alert posture.[2]

Your weight should be evenly spread in Mountain Pose. This should be true in both your legs and feet as well as your arms and chest.

2

Squat with your thighs wider than your torso. Your thighs and butt should be close to the ground so you are comfortable, yet flexible. It’s also important to exhale while you’re squatting so you are relaxed and calm.[3]

Your squat should come from your torso first in a vertical movement. Make sure that you use your torso as a wedge that fits comfortably between your thighs.

Exhaling while you’re squatting is important. Breathing is very important in yoga and can keep your body relaxed, but ready to move.

3

Spread your knees apart and lean forward in between them. This movement should put your head and upper torso between your knees while your head and torso are still upright. Bring your palms together as if you were praying and stay in the pose for several breaths.[4]

When leaning your torso into your knees, it may be tempting for your toes to turn out instead of facing forward. If possible, try to keep your toes straight and parallel.

4

Release the pose. Once you've held the pose for a count of five breaths, it's time to release. Bring your fingertips to the floor. Unbend your legs, pushing yourself upwards, while keeping your torso facing the floor.[5]

When you are done moving, you should be in a forward fold, with your face towards your knees and your arms bent towards the floor.

Method2

Avoiding Common Mistakes

1

Support your feet. Your feet should be mostly on the ground, with your heels touching the floor. However, if they don't, you can provide support with a towel, blanket, or yoga mat. Simply roll it up firmly, and place it under your heels for support.[6]

Don't move your knees outward in the first part of the pose. You may injure your knees by putting too much stress on them and bending them outward before you squat. Instead, move into the squat position, then move your knees outward.[7]

You may find yourself turning your knees outward or inward when first doing the pose. Just make sure to continually check in while you’re doing the pose to correct yourself and focus on bending from the legs.

If you already have knee problems, you may want to try a modified version of the pose by employing the foot support technique.[8]

3

Don’t stay in the pose if it’s painful. The Garland Pose should help to stretch your joints and muscles. Make sure to stop the pose if you feel extended or sharp pain.[9]

Your muscles may be sore after yoga, which is normally. However, any sharp or throbbing pain is unusual and should be attended to immediately.

There’s nothing wrong with doing a different pose if the Garland is painful. There are many different yoga poses that can be beneficial to you and your body.

4

Make sure to warm up first. The Garland Pose is a beginner pose, but it's important to be warmed up before you start doing it. Even five minutes of slow stretching from a sitting position can be enough to get your muscles warm.[10]

When you're not warmed up, it's easier to pull muscles or injure yourself. Even when doing beginner poses, you need to be limber before doing them.

Method3

Knowing the Benefits of the Garland Pose

1

Know that Garland Pose can strengthen your ankles. The Garland Pose can help to strengthen your ankles since you’re resting mostly on your ankles. If you have an ankle injuries, you may want to try a modified pose.[11]

Make sure that your weight is balanced on both feet. This will make sure that your ankles have equal weight and you’re not relying more on one or the other.

Blankets under your knees can help to lessen the pressure on your ankles. This cushions the amount of flexion of your knees and ankles.

2

Be aware that Garland Pose can also make hips more mobile. Yoga is great for opening up your hips and make you more flexible. You can try to change this pose as you become more experienced to strengthen your hips.[12]

You can do a variation of this pose where you use a table to stabilize yourself. This can really put the focus of the pose on your back muscles.

Putting your back against a wall can also be a good modification for this pose. This may be a good variation if you are experience some tenderness or soreness in your back muscles.

4

Work on your abdomen muscles during Garland Pose. The Garland Pose can strengthen your abdomen muscles, which should be relaxed while you’re doing the pose. This will help you to not stay tight throughout.[14]

Your abdomen muscles should be relaxed. If they are tight, it may throw off the balance necessary for the pose.

5

Use the Garland Pose for pregnancy. Pregnant women find the Garland Pose particularly useful when they are getting close to their due date. The pose helps pregnant women get their bodies ready for labor.[15]

The Garland Pose helps to loosen your hips. This will help women when opening up their hips during labor.